ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018 PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT Jeremy Fricker, President - On behalf of the Board It is an honour and a privilege to be able to write this statement as President during the year in which the Society enters its 150th year. For those 150 years Radstock Co-operative Society has served its members and customers, from humble beginnings to the vibrant and expanding business it has become today. Throughout that proud and independent journey the Society has demonstrated its relevance and its place in the communities it serves. Nowadays, when support often takes the form of assistance for local good causes and charities, we continue to cement our place in the community. The trading environment, as we all know, has As always, our colleagues have participated been particularly challenging throughout in various activities and events in order to 2017. It is therefore pleasing to note that raise money for charities and good causes. despite these challenges the Society has These have included the Grand Appeal. continued to grow and flourish. Since my last Farrington Gurney Store Manager, Graham report, three new community stores have been Perry, raised nearly £2,000 for the Bristol opened in Warminster, Weston-super-Mare and Children’s Hospital ‘Wallace and Gromit Bridgwater, bringing the store estate up to Grand Appeal’ by jumping from an aeroplane nineteen, another milestone as we enter a and free falling 20,000ft. The Society hugely significant year in the Society’s history. donated a further £400 from funds raised After a torrid year for the farm in 2016, it is from our charity raffle that was held at last pleasing to see a strong result from our dairy year’s annual awards ceremony. farm and the improvement in the Society’s surplus before distributions. National fundraising appeals were again well supported with £615 raised for Comic Relief, Last year I was delighted to be able to report £2,000 raised for Children in Need with the progress we have made as a Co-operative £2,485 raised in support of the Poppy Society attracting and recruiting new Appeal. In addition the Society made members. That progress has continued numerous small scale donations and throughout 2018. Total membership now gave products and prizes in support of a stands at 14,429 a significant increase of variety of community groups and causes. 5,472 or 61% over the prior year. As a We are grateful as ever for the continuing successful co-operative business, dividend generosity of our customers and colleagues paid out to our members amounted to who provide much needed financial support £79,064 for the financial year. for many a deserving cause. 150 The member-selected charities for the year, BOARD MEMBERS YEARS YMCA Mendip and the Midsomer Norton and CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: 1868 - 2018 Radstock Silver Band, both received donations of £1,100. Cheque presentations of £250 were GRAHAM JEFFERY (VICE PRESIDENT), made to pupils who attend the Minster Church SUZANNE BURGESS, SUE BARNARD, of England School to mark the opening of the CRAIG DOUGHTY, JONATHAN RICH, new Warminster store, pupils at Ashcombe DEREK ROBERTS, LYNDA ROBERTSON, Primary School who attended the opening of CHRIS WARREN our Weston Super Mare store and pupils from Elmwood Special Needs School who were VIP guests for the opening of the Bridgwater store. In January of this year the Society was awarded the prestigious silver accreditation against the Investors in People Standard, demonstrating commitment to high performance through good people management. I’d like to quote Paul Devoy, Head of Investors in People, who said: We’d like to congratulate Radstock Co-operative Society. Investors in People accreditation is the sign of a great employer, an outperforming place to work and a clear commitment to success. Radstock Co-op should be extremely proud of their achievement. On behalf of your Board of Directors I would like to thank our members and customers for their continued support and our colleagues for all their hard work during the year. A number of exciting events are planned throughout 2018 across the Society’s trading area to celebrate our 150th year. The Board of Directors look forward to welcoming all to these celebrations. Jeremy FrickerPresident REVIEW OF THE BUSINESS AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS Radstock Co-operative Society has been a West Country business at the heart of the community since 1868. Throughout that history the Society has remained independent not only in its status but also in its thinking, a trait that can be traced to its mining heritage. Our founding fathers believed that the co-operative movement could teach communities to be provident and self-reliant and it was their duty to seek to spread these principles far and wide. Don Morris Chief Executive Owned by our members, in 2018 we operate eighteen community stores, a superstore in Radstock and a 1,000 acre dairy farm at Hardington. We’ve expanded rapidly in recent years with a clear vision. Locally owned and locally managed, we aim to be the best community retailer, growing the business for the future, considering co-operative principles in everything we do. As a Society, in-line with our strategy, we estate. The farm, after a very diffi cult have seized the opportunity to grow our year in 2016 for the milk industry, has retail sales by continuing to invest in our rebounded and made a signifi cant community store business through new contribution to our surplus in 2017 helped store openings and in our existing estate by our strategy to expand milk volumes and through store refi ts. We have introduced control costs. The pressure on business seen further in-store bakeries and extended fresh in 2017 will continue in 2018 with demand and chilled product lines. Our largest store, on margins, increasing operating costs and RADCO, has again made a modest but very uncertainty over Brexit exacerbating the hard fought contribution to the retail challenges we face. Gross takings during the fi nancial year The welcomed surplus of 150 exceeded £40m for the very fi rst time growing £110,921 (2016/17: £5,078) YEARS by £3,831,094 or 10% and now stand at made an important 1868 - 2018 £42.4m (2016/17: £38.6m). On a like-for-like contribution to the basis the Society’s stores achieved increased Society’s profi tability. Our Farm Manager turnover of £1,231,862 or 4.1%. The Society from Velcourt is continuing to make made a small trading loss for the year of the necessary improvements in land £146,650 (2016/17: £71,824) partly as a management, feedstock and animal result of known costs relating to the husbandry and we remain a member establishment of pricing and merchandising of the Co operative Dairy Group (CDG). skill sets previously provided to the Society The Society will continue to make by others and the start-up costs of our new appropriate infrastructure investments stores. This position is reversed when the especially to aid effi ciencies in the dairy contribution from the Farm and Property operation in preparation for our continued income are applied leading to an operating expansion of the dairy herd. surplus of £174,483 (2016/17: £253,998). After Finance Costs and revaluation gains on investment properties, due to the construction of two new residential fl ats above our Chew Magna store, the surplus Gross takings during before distributions are up 30% and stand at £282,411 (2016/17: £217,842). the fi nancial year exceeded £40m for the very fi rst The Society has had a very busy year with time growing by £3,831,094 or the addition of three new stores, two opening before 24 February 2018 and one 10% and now stand at £42.4m shortly after. Warminster is a new purpose- (2016/17: £38.6m). built community store and has become our second store in the County of Wiltshire. Located on Victoria Road the location is prominent being on a major road with a large number of houses in the location and the site offers good access with parking. Milton Road in Weston-super-Mare became Turning now to future developments, the the Society’s eighteenth store and Taunton Society will continue to review its trading Road in Bridgwater the nineteenth. As always locations and their development to ensure the stores have been fi tted out to a high that all stores meet the needs of our specifi cation with energy-effi cient chillers, members and customers. We will also pursue freezers and lighting and low-level fi xtures. our expansion strategy whilst ensuring the The layouts have been designed to provide Society remains fi nancially safe and secure. a light and spacious environment with wide aisles to ease navigation and plenty of In what has turned out to be an exceptionally natural light providing for an enjoyable busy but rewarding year it gives me great shopping experience. The new stores expand pleasure to thank all colleagues for their our geographical trading area and are strong hard work and to thank our members and additions to the retail estate. customers for their continued trading support. Our attention now turns to the Society’s 2017 was a good year for the farm as the 150th year. I look forward to celebrating this price of milk at the farm gate rose steadily outstanding achievement with our members, from the ‘milk price crisis’ of 2016. customers and colleagues. OUR WORK IN THE COMMUNITY Our colleagues supported many local community groups throughout the year and participated in a variety of fund-raising activities. These included many store specifi c events from accommodating a food bank collection point to one of our colleagues performing a sky dive for charity.